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Everest Introduction
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Day 3: Namche Bazaar Rest Day All trekkers are recommended to stay in Namche for two nights for acclimisation (especially if you flew into Lukla). Of course there are many things to do around Namche which is the crossroads of Khumbu (where all paths converge). It is actually quite a site to see the Saturday market, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately because of the congestion it causes) we were never in Namche for a Saturday. But it is the event of the week in Khumbu as villagers from all surrounding areas gather to buy, sell, and trade various goods. But despite missing the Saturday market, we had the opportunity to take a day hike up to Thame, a village over two hours west of Namche with an ancient gompa. Thame is a destination of many trekking groups and the gateway to the (if I could find my guidebook I would know it) valley with a trail to Tibet via a dangerous pass. The walk is relatively flat through pine forests until the end when it climbs. I have to say that I was very impressed with this area. The path at first went through pine forests on a hillside hundreds of meters above the river and then it enters some very nice villages. At the morning hour we were passing through, elementary school kids were walking to their private school dressed in school uniforms. A lot of foreign money has found its way to this area and here it was especially obvioius with Edmund Hillary-sponsored schools and a big hydroelectric project providing power to the whole area. It was good to see how the impact of these projects made life much better for the people of this area. The villages were still traditional looking and the forests for the most part seemed intact and undisturbed. Also despite the traffic of local people and foreign trekkers, there was little trash and the villages seemed especially tidy. This wasn't only restricted to the villages on this trek but to the Khumbu region as a whole. A lot of foreigners complain that the locals have been tainted by tourists and even their charity, but for all that I saw I thought there was a good balance between the traditional and the new. Plus most importantly the local Sherpa people seemed to live comfortably and seemed happy overall.
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